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Congress of the United Slates
HOUSE OF RE PRESENTA FIFES.
Friday, Nov. 2,7.
Mr. J. Clay piefented a Memoria
from fiindry merchants and traders of
the city of Philadelphia, praying, tha;
the a£t prohibiting the importation o!
certain goods, wares and merchandize,
pa (Ted the 18th April, 1806, may be
repealed.
Mr. Clay moved that the memorial
be referred to the committee of tom
ttierce and manufaQures.
Mr. Rowan hoped the petition
would not be referred to any commit
tee. He thought it would be beneath
the dignity of the hotife to give i; any
consideration. Had he been in con
grefs at the time the law palled, he
would h.ave voted agsinß it; but a it
bad passed, and as we had received a
frefh infu.lt from Great Britain in the
attack on the Chesapeake, he would
•not vote for its repeal.
Mr. J. Clay I'aid, that as the petition ;
was couched in decent language, and
involved a question of great national
importance, it could no: be inconfuo
tent either with the dignity or the jus
tice of the house to refer it to the com.
mittee of commerce and manufafctur<?*.
As to the non.importation law who
ever would examine it would find, that
many of its provisions were very de
ficienr, and in Come cases totally nuga
tory. lie pointed out fome ol its de.
fefcls, and observed that it contained lo
many absurdities, the: he doubted
whether it ever could go into opeia
tion.
Mr Crowninfiiield frid, that a?! to
the non-uroportiuion law, it might be
oblcure in feme parts, but there were
more than a dozen articles on which
there could be no doubt at all. Un~
der what cirtiumfiances had that law
pa lied ?—We had been making
demands on Great ‘Britain for many
years, which file had refufed to Satisfy
and this law had been pa (fed to in.
duce her to do us just ice. Since that
period file had committed the outrage
on the Chesapeake. The blood of A
merican citizens had freely flowed in
thatvellel. Great Britain had known
this for Some months, and yet we had
obtained no redreis. He knew in
deed that the law in question was luf
pended but for a ihoit time at .prelent;
bm from rumors which woe afloat,
and from what he knew, of the difpofi-’
tio-n of Gr eat Britain , he entertained no
hope that fiie would do us juttiee. He
thought that we were sleeping at our
polls. We knew that G. Britain was ma
king afciive prepi'r aliens .that fiie was
.endeavoring to decov the Indians on
our frontiers that {he was arming her
militia in Canada and Nova Scotia •
and that (be had, besides, an immense
navy. The late attack on - Cqpenba
gen had convinced us that fiie paid no
regard to juliice or the laws of nations.
She had in that infiance violated every
* principle of hu-manky.—Could we ex
petl better treatment than Denmark, a |
nation which had never injured her? j
Might not our cities be wrapt in 1! tines
as v.til
Hate that, they are alarmed at the de
mands of our government ; what were j
those demands ? Did they know them |
He know not, although a member of
that house: and vet the per it toners
are ‘ l afar med” at them. xMr. C. then
moved that the petition lie on die U’
fcle.
Mr. Milner could fee r.nv inn
propiietv in referring the petition. He
was acquainted with *he charatDrs
who had figntri it, and he knew them 1
to be men of thehighed refpefc-iability
men who would not slightly commit
thecsielves. As to the noiMinporia
tion law he had always regared it as a
weak and futile mealuie, calculated to
pioduce no other effect than to irritate
Great Britain. He would rather him
seen a law to pibbibit all intercourse
i.t once. He agreed with the gentle,
man lull up, that we were llteuiog at
our polls; that our affaire with Great
Biiiatn wcteui such a flotation as to
render it extremely doubtful whether
they’ would be amicably lettled, and
that under theie circuinllances wc
o (.ght not to be idle.
Mr, AUlpu moved that the petition
be referred to a coir mittee of lire whole
house.
Mr. Smilie thought ihat referring
this petition to the ccrnmittee of the
whole would be giving it too much im
portance. That there was party in
the country tirongly prejudiced in fa
vor of the British government, he ne
ver doubted for a moment, that thi*
was a measure of that part), he was e|
qually certain.
Mr, Basset hoped the petition would
be referred to a committee of the whole
on theftate of ihe union ; not outof re.
(peH for the petition ; but out of rer
Ipeß for the nation. This’ would af
ford the house an oppoit unity of ex.
pretling their lemiments on the present
interesting ffate of affairs., lire house
had been fitting feme time, and not
one wotd had been uiteied on the sub-
wifiled this lilence to be bro
ken.
Mr. Chandler knew not who these
petitioners were; he dtd not know but
they were Bpitifh fubjeßs residing
among us: If he were certain 01-the
sacs, he would move to have the pe
iitioif thrown under the table, without
taking any further notice ol ii ; but as
he was not certain of it, he v.as wilj
‘ing to iet it lie on the t!>!e.
Mr. f. Clay fatd that wi.h refpeftf
to the afTerrion of his colleague (Mr.
Smilie) lie would merely remark that
there was a man’s name (igned to that
pttitioM, with whom he was intimately
acquainted, who, he knew, did as
much good for t is country as his col
league, notwith(lauding his lituation.
The gentleman from Maflacb ulcus,
[Mr, Crowninfliidd) had made a long
harangue on the fubjefcf of the non
importation law, ami had laid that it
would not embatafs the merchants.
But so extremely ridiculous was fotne
of the provisions of that law, that it
was doubtful v.'hether a gold watch
could he imported, on account of the
glass being prohibited. He laid lie
felt extremely hurt at the observations
of the gentleman from Fennfy Ivariia,
[Mr. Smilie) when he knew that the
tigners of the petition were native Ame
rican citizens. But it seemed naiural
that a member of congress muff I peak
on ail fuhje£ls, whether he underftooci
them or not.
Mr. Elliot (poke in favour of re.
ferriug the petition, and agamlt the
insinuation of a Bruilh party. lici
said that he feared there might loon be,
two watch words effablifhed, to vote
down any mcafurc which might he
difagreeahle, and these were “ Con
fideoce in the Executive,” and t; Jiti.
iilh Party.”
Mr. Nelson was opposed 10 refer
ring the petition to any committee.
He thought the house ought not to
hefitatc a moment about, throwing un
der the table all applications for a re
peal off the law in question ; particular,
ly now, when we were be feared on
the eve of a war, and after the -British
government had boa fled that we dared
not put it in force, as (he would con.,
sider it as a declaration of war.
Mr. Rhea ( Ten) spoke again-fi re.
/erring ihe petition. He obfei v-ed, that
when these colonies presented petitions’
to the Bri.ifii parliament fora redress
of grievances, they were t\ywn under
the table. He thought that would be
the molt proper co.urfe on the prelcnt
occa lion.
Mr. Filk contended, that the peti
:ion v;as dike! pectin! to the house,
inasmuch as it conveyed a diftrull ol
•he measures taken by government.
Several other members spoke on
the fubjefcf, when
Mr. Randolph observed, that at
'empts had been made to denounce his
friend from Pennsylvania, (Mr. |.
Clay)—a man, he laid, whom he would
not aiigrace by comparing, either in
regard to talent or patriotilm, with
any of his denunciators. [Mr. Crown
mlhteid role to explain ; hut he was
:wice called to order by Mr. Afandolph.j
He laid that it was the indubitable
fight ot ihe citizens of this country 10
present their petitions to this house;
and a rcfmal to refer those petitions
was a reiufal to conlider them. He
never expected to hi ar the conouCf ol
( he corrupt and hiieling majority ol
o;d North, brought foiwatU to juftify
a -funilar conduH in that house. We
had ex ere i fed the right of petitioning
the British parliament, ami they had
pursued the very condufci which was
now recommended here —our pe'iciom
were trea f cd with derision and c m
tempt. 1T the prayer ol the petitioners
was improper, would it not he better
to expose their errors in a mnUeily
report, from a committee, than to
flam'the door in their faces, and affect
ing all ail the a*rs of an Ahatirk love
reign, refitfe to hear them ? We were,
he believed, on the eve of a war with
Great Britain ; and we were treading
• n-the very footifeps ol the British min
iltry on the eve of ise American war,
and on the eve of the French war.
Even the commanding genius of Mr.
Fox, would not be lillened to in the
house of commons—he was obliged to
go out —and what was the coufe
quence? He was called by the unani
tnous voice of the nation, to corredt
those very mi /chiefs, to expole which
he was rtlufed a hearing, when lie firli
railed his voice again It them. But ii
was said, that the language of the peti
tioners was dil refpefcffui. What do
they fay ? That they do not wiflj us to
make any faciilice of our national ho
riour and independence. And what is
;he great bulwark of our national ho
nour and independence f Why, a uife
rahle non importation law ? !
The house, Ivlr. ii. laid, had now
been in fefiiou five weeks ; arid on the
eve of a war, they were ditcuUinp whe
ther we should import locks with brals
nobs, or locks with iron nobs—they
were fitting there locking at one ano.
ther, reading newspapers, writing let
ters, receiving bank checks, and count
ing their money ; and the nation was
precisely in the fame situation as it was
when the house hrlt affcmbled. If we
were to have a war with Great-Bi itain,
as he believed we were, it would be
come the houle at the outlet to con.
ciliate those by whom that war was to
be carried on—he meant by & thofe,’
the great body of American people—
and not the rich merchant more than the
iartd holders, but not Jess. The house
Were beginning a war on ihe fame
principles as Mr. Pitt did his with
France, by proferibing every man,
who dare to quellion one tittle of its
motives. But he trolled if it began in
the lame way, u would not have a limi
iar end.
Mr. Crown in fiiield hoped the house
would do him the juliice to believe
that he did not vvifh to derogate from
the charafcler of Iris friend from Penns.
(Mr. Clay); be had always entertained
the highcfl efioem for that gemleman, •
and he aUavs should. He had (tated
that the language of the petition was
difrefpefcHul, anti he wi tiled it to lie on
the table; but that was lure'v not re .
jecting it. He had lince, however, dis
covered a fentimerit in the petition
which had cleaned him before, and
which confirmed him in his opinion of
it. The petitioners fay, that i4 they
.h o petite j>ea ce of the coun 1r v wi 11 riot
be endangered by an adherence io
doubttn, or unletued principles.” Was
it an un fettled principle that a national
veifel could not be searched ? He
thought not. He had always consider
ed a national vefft-1 as a national terri.
tory, and that it should be maintained
inviolate. He had formerly been of
opinion that it would be better to pals
a total non-importation law ; but for the
lake of conciliating Great Britain, he
had voted for a partial non-impor.
iat ion.
Mr. Randolph said, that the gentleman
from Mass. (Mr. C.) had grossly misun
derstood hnn : he did not allude to that
gentleman hs denouncing his friend
from Pennsylvania. (iMr. J. Clay.j Ihe
denudations had been heard by the house
at least they had been by hirn. (See
above) —13 it he had said that die gentle
man aid endeavored to make this a party
question he blilL thought ao, and his catl
ing for axes and nays proved it. life
would call the attention of the house to a
period when men of different political
sentiments held the reigns ot government
petition after petition had bet n presented
agiinat the sedition law and vet they had
al wu\& been received and heard although
he said it was almost impossible to couch
such petition in respectful language. He
contended that the merchants did not al
lude loathe rights of ths w ords which the
gentleman (Mr. <7rown!rt°-hieM) hndqno.
ted but they said that doubts were enter
tained that other subjects had been con
nected with that, zlud hid they not a
right to doubt ? He thought ift'>e gentle
man (Mr, Crowninshu-HpvouM exchange
a tevv of his certainties for some of their
doubts, he would not be a worse manor a
less efficient politician. He believed It to
be a novel thing in legislation, that be
cause the house differed in opinion from
a petitioner, tne petition should be re
jected.
The question was then .taken on refer
ring ih<- p-titlon to a committee of the
whole house it was lost, ayes sJnoes 80
The petition tvas ordered to tic on the
table.
This interfering d'scriasion (of which
the above \ bat a Sketch) lasted about
three hours.
Mr. Randolph ashed and obtained leave
of absence ol Mr. J, Clay, lor tiie remain
der of the session.
Mr.- A’mdolph, from the committee ap
pointed for the po'-poce, reported a bill
explain the act tf> prohibit the imfTortatiort
of slaves into the Gni'-ed States after the
3lst day ol U j 18;) y , which *as read
twice, and ordered to be referred to a coin*
mittee of th- whole on Monday.
Mr. Blount erdivd fur the order of the
day on the second report in part of the
committee of aggressions, &c. V'nU mo
tion occasioned a debate of about two
hours, principally relating to the atcack on.
the Chesapeake frigate, and to the con
duct of the British squadron in remaining
in our waters contrary to the pteaideut’a
proclamation.
A few minutes before fiv<- o’clock, tbo
house adjourned till Monday.
Monday, Nov. qo.
On motion of Mr- Findley, the pe
tition of Arthur St. Ciair prelented at
a former leffion, was referred to a
committee appointed to enquire what
claims are barred by the fiatute of li
mitations, which in realon and justice
ougiu to be allowed by law.
Mr. Cook offered several resolutions
calling on the fecretarv of the navy
for information on tlie date of our iia
val alFairs, which, after fotne debate,
were adopted.
The houle resolved itfeVF into a
committee of the whole on tlie second
report of the committee ofjjaggreffions
Mr. Baffea in the chair. The report
closed with two refokuions —the
authortling the ereHicn of fortifica*
tiohs—the second, the building .of gun
boats lor the pur pole of defending our
ports and harbors. After a debate,
of defultovy conversation of fome
length, the report was, with a flight a
mendinent, agreed to, and concurred
in by the house.
In this debate there was but little
methodical speaking nor much that
would inter ell our readers, except the
speeches of VlcfTrs. Gardinier and
Mailers both of New York, on the
neceHi;y of making liberal appropria
tions for the defence of our ports
and harbors. The latter of thele ipeech
es the Editor could not hear wi.h luf
licitnt difimctnels to report. Os the
former which was bold, rnanly and dig
nified, he has notes but a very afliittive
fever, from which he has yet been un
able to free himfelf, put it out of his
power to lay it before his readers to
day, If possible, he will prepare this
fpetch together with fome other felefct
parts of the debale for the next Fede
ralilf.
Tuefdav Dec. i.
On motion of Mr. Ouiney, Refohei
That the lecretary for the department,
of war be directed to lay before thisx
honfe an account of the state of the*,
fortifications of the refpeftive ports ar and
harbors of the United States; wit’ j a
Ifatementof the mottles appropr' ;ale( j
for fortifications remaining oner ,pend
ed ; and an eftirnate of the fu - ne _
celfary for completing fucK fortifica*
tions as may be neccifary fr r tbe (je
fence.
‘I he boi,re f P ent time, ia conr
tnmee of the whole on ‘ he ’ orid(Je bilf^
wh.ch was ordered lu be enßr;o Scd for
a third reading. *
The Ediiof havi „ g rs>i ,ed a few mi.
nu.es, on ins ret urn> , e |b and Ml .
Kanuo ph makr . fon , c „ k , 01l
j ,ne ‘" olt , cl 'B ,hl e mode of del. -nee fee
I our b<,a,J , and on .he ml titc an.l
expedienty 0 t providing for i l.e com
fortable h.r, poi( iA (he office , , aI)li io u
oieis or li ,e revolutionary wai , The Jo
icmaiky were prefatory mtj c follow
ing which Mr, 1 Rudolph